Set to meet in the European semi-finals for the third year in a row, is it finally the WSL champions' year, or will the Catalans win again?
Stop us if you've heard this one before but, this week Chelsea, chasing a first-ever Women's Champions League title, will take on Barcelona, the holders of the trophy, in a blockbuster European semi-final. It's the third year in a row that these two giants of the game have collided at this stage, and the result on each occasion has been the same as when they clashed in the 2021 final: Barca win. Will it be any different this year?
For a brief period last time around, it looked like Chelsea might get the job done. The Blues were 1-0 winners in Catalunya to take a slender advantage into their home leg at Stamford Bridge. However, it was there that Barca's class shone through, with Aitana Bonmati in particular showcasing her world-beating talent in a performance that not only delivered a 2-0 win, but certainly contributed to her second-successive Ballon d'Or triumph just a few months later.
Things will look at least a little different this year. Both teams have gone through changes, in the dugout and on the pitch. Indeed, after representing the Blaugrana when these two last clashed, Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh will be wearing Chelsea blue this time around. But can any of those changes allow the English champions to finally defeat Barca over two legs? Or does a fifth successive Champions League final beckon for the winners of the last two?
Getty ImagesLevelling up
It's fair to say Chelsea have been doing plenty to try and ensure they can change the tide of this head-to-head and edge closer towards the Champions League trophy that has long eluded them. That's been the case for several years, but it feels like it has ramped up this season.
It was particularly pertinent in January, when Chelsea splashed a heap of cash to further bolster an already blockbuster team. In came Naomi Girma, the United States star widely regarded as one of the best centre-backs in the world, for a world-record fee, and Walsh would follow from Barcelona, having spent the past two-and-a-half years going to new levels as a player in Catalunya. These were two world-class additions, coming in ahead of the Champions League knockout stages.
Following the appointment of Sonia Bompastor in the summer, who has triumphed in this competition as a player and a coach, plus the recruitment of a five-time UWCL winner in Bronze, there are suddenly even more top-level characters who know what it takes to get over the line in the biggest competitions in the sport – on top of the plethora that were already at the club.
AdvertisementGettyBarca stumbling?
Chelsea's switch to Bompastor has been relatively seamless, resulting in just one defeat through 33 matches to date. Barcelona, meanwhile, have had a few setbacks in their first season under a new coach of their own.
When Lluis Cortes, the man who delivered Barca's first UWCL title, left the club off the back of that success, the Catalans had remarkable success in appointing his assistant, Jonatan Giraldez. He delivered two more European titles in his three seasons, those back-to-back and the latter as part of an historic first quadruple for the women's team. When Giraldez then chose to move on, to take charge of the Washington Spirit, it made total sense for the club to turn to another member of the backroom team, in Pere Romeu.
However, despite players speaking very highly of the 31-year-old, there have been some obstacles this term. In October, a shock 2-0 defeat to Manchester City left a lot to be desired, while a first-ever loss to Real Madrid just last month ended an unbeaten streak against Las Blancas that the fans revelled in. It's not been entirely straight-forward.
Getty ImagesReliable under pressure
That said, Barca are still firmly on track to win a quadruple this season. They've already lifted the Supercopa de Espana, they are into the final of the Copa de la Reina, they are four points clear at the top of the Liga F table and, this weekend, their Champions League semi-final against Chelsea begins.
This is a team that has delivered time and time again in moments of the highest pressure, and you'd be brave to bet against them doing that on this occasion, especially given the quality that resides within their squad. The only reason that defeats like those against City and Madrid are placed under the microscope is because they are so rare. To have lost just three games all season – the other to Levante in the league – by mid-April is remarkable, with criticism and concern simply an indication of how high they have set the bar for themselves.
Getty ImagesBallon d'Or contenders
Central to a campaign that could still return four trophies have been a number of star names. Caroline Graham Hansen has continued the brilliant form that resulted in so many people calling for her to pip Aitana Bonmati to last year's Ballon d'Or, while the winner of that Golden Ball herself has not taken her foot off the gas in a bid for a third successive individual triumph. Patri Guijarro has been an assist-machine from holding midfield, summer signing Ewa Pajor has already surpassed the 30-goal mark and, perhaps above all, Alexia Putellas might well be back to her best.
The 31-year-old has had some rotten injury luck in recent years, suffering an ACL tear on the eve of the European Championship in 2022 after she had just completed a remarkable season that would see her retain her first Ballon d'Or. Understandably, it took some time for her to build back up to the incredible level she was at before that setback, and some smaller fitness obstacles here and there didn't help.
However, after showing glimpses of her preposterous talent in the time since, with a wonderful goal in last year's Champions League final a great example, it does feel like Putellas is right back up there with the likes of Graham Hansen and Bonmati now, consistently and brilliantly impacting games of the greatest magnitude. It's why all three feel like huge contenders for this year's Golden Ball.